Flashing ball



Sept- 15, 1959 c. BODELL 2,903,820

FLASHING BALL Filed March 5, 1958 rralewiy United States Patent O FLASHING BALL Cornell Bodell, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application March 5, 1958, Serial No. 719,312

3 Claims. (Cl. 46--228)y This invention relates to a toy ball which when rolled on the floor or the like, or even turned over by hand will flash lights intermittently at different zones within the ball and near its outer skin. It is the purpose of the invention to provide a toy which will be extremely attractive to a child by reason of the liashiug on and off of the lights as the ball may be rolled or turned about.

A further important Iobject of the invention is to provide such a ball in a form which may be readily produced at a low cost, and in which the source of energy may be replaced from time to time as may be required.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a ball containing ashing lights which will be safe within the hands of a child and which will resist to some degree at least the desire of the child to tear the device up and see what is inside.

One particular form of the invention embodying the foregoing objects, and also other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those versed in the art, is described in reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation and partial section of a device embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a wiring diagram.

Two great circles of material, preferably a conducting wire, indicated by the numerals and 11 are positioned and fixed in planes at right angles to each other, intersecting one another on diameters thereof.

One of the circular wires such as the wire 10 is provided with a diametrical brace 12 therethrough and fixed in position. Centered on this brace 12 is a pair of brackets 13 and 14, xedly carried by the brace 12. Both of these brackets 13 and 14 carry an electrical cell 15. The cell 15 in each instance is insulated electrically from the brackets 13 and 14.

There are positioned around the wire 10 a plurality of lamp receiving clips 16, herein shown for example as three in number, each of these clips 16 carrying a lamp base 17 into which is inserted a lamp 18 and held thereby. The base 17 would be in the nature of a receptacle, and in electrical circuit with the clip 16 and in turn with the wire 10. The lamp 18 would be detachably retained within the receptacle 17.

Then one clip 16a carried by the ring 10 carries a mercury switch 19, preferably of the metal wall type, and is employed to interrupt an electrical circuit including the cells 15 and the lamps by gravitational effect as the ring 10 may be rotated or turned to shift the mercury within the switch.

In like manner, the ring 11 carries a plurality of lamp receptacle clips 20, herein shown as three in number, these clips 20 likewise being in electrical circuit with the ring 11. The clips 20 carry the lamp receptacles 21 which in turn carry the lamps 18, three sets of these elements being herein shown as carried by the ring 11.

Then in addition, the ring 11 carries a mercury switch y23 by the clip 24 in electrical circuit with the wire 11,

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and any -additional number of switches may be employed in conjunction with additional numbers of lamps. For example, the wire 11 carries a second switch 25 turned in the opposite direction from the switch 23 so that in one position of the ring 11 rotated in its own plane, the switch 23 will for example be closed whereas switch 25 would be open, and then the reverse would be true upon further rotation of the ring 11. Suitable wiring is provided between the cells 15, the three switches, and the six lamps herein shown, as is indicated in Fig. 2. As above indicated, the drawing shows a simplified form of the structure which may be varied by adding additional switches and lamps, the diagram in Fig. 2 showing the wiring of the form as illustrated in Fig. l.

Referring to the diagram in Fig. 2, there are the two cells 15 one in series with the other and connected from one cell 15 through the wire 26 to the ground which in this case would be one of the wires 10 or 11, these two being interconnected so as to be in electrical circuit with each other. Then leading from the two cells 15 is the wire 27 which interconnects to the ground, each of the switches and two of the lamps 18 for each switch.

The structure thus far described is enclosed in a ball generally indicated by the numeral 28, herein shown as being made in two parts, each being substantially a hemisphere and joined one to the other detachably on the equator, herein shown as the half 29 being screwthreadedly engaged with the half 30, the half 30 having an inset band 31 so that the outer side of the portion 32 may overlap the band 31 in order to provide a smooth spherical surface across the juncture. This ball 28 is preferably made out of a translucent material such as plastic, so that when the lamps 18 are illuminated, a flash of light will be apparent from the outside of the ball, or if the ball stops in any position of rolling to have one of the three switches in closed circuit condition, then there will be that illumination visible from the outside of the ball. Material of the ball 28 may be of a constant color, or it may be in a variegated color all as may be desired. Also the lamps 18 may be different in colored glass, so as to give a variation in the flashing illumination.

When the ball 28 is rolled across the oor, for example, one of the switches at least will close to illuminate its interconnected lamps. By placing the switches 19, 23, and 25 at different angular relationships one with the other, there will be some of the lamps illuminated regardless of the direction of rolling of the ball, and also at various degrees of its rolling.

When the ball is not being played with, it may come to rest at a portion where one of the switches 19, 23, or 2S may be closed thereby permitting battery current to be used. To positively cut off current flow from the battery in any position of the ball, there is a master switch 35 mounted on a grommet 36 which in turn is snapped into a hole 37 in the ball wall, Fig. l, to be supported thereby. This switch 35 is one commercially obtainable and is of the ratchet type used in raising and lowering automobile headlight beams, and since its construction does not enter into the invention per se, it is not shown nor described. Pressing inwardly of the ball on the button 38 closes the battery to switches 19, 23, and 25 and lamp circuits and pressing a second time on the button 38 opens the circuit. The switch 35 intercepts the wire 39 between the cells 15.

Therefore, while I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that ystructural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a flashing ball, the combination of a hollow member of a material which will transmit light therethrough 'to some degree at least; a framework carried within said member comprising a pair of rings disposed in circumferential contact and fixed in planes at angles to one another; a plurality of lamps distributed about and carried by said rings; a plurality of mercury switches carried by said rings; a source of electrical energy carried by and supported within said framework; and circuit means interconnecting said source with said lamps selectively through said switches whereby upon rotation of said rings part only of said lamps will illuminate in the one position while the remaining lamps only will illuminate upon changing said one position.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said hollow member is spherical in shape and said rings are of equal diameters.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said framework provides supporting means for said hollow member and 

